Sochia Quiet, But Mood Loud And Clear

Sochia, who said he never wanted to play for the Dolphins again during his contract negotiations, reported and practiced Wednesday.

But Sochia wasn`t very chatty. As a cameraman filmed him running after the workout, Sochia approached him and said, ``Get away from me. Go shoot somebody else.``

Earlier, when asked how his teammates reacted to his return, Sochia said, ``No one said anything in particular. I`m back to do whatever I can to help the team.`` When pressed, Sochia said, ``So far, everything is fine.`` With that, he briskly walked away.

But the scene in the locker room was different. Several players, notably safety Louis Oliver, teased Sochia, with Oliver laughingly making reference to the Buffalo Bills cap that Sochia had talked about wearing after the Dolphins-Bills game two weeks ago.

The players seemed to be kidding, but Sochia was not smiling.

Coach Don Shula said Sochia would be used at nose tackle and defensive end, and would determine at the end of the week whether Sochia and kicker Pete Stoyanovich, who took part in his first workout in pads, would be activated for Sunday`s game against the Detroit Lions in Pontiac, Mich.

-- Fullback Tony Paige says there will be no revenge factor against the Lions, who left him unprotected after the 1989 season. He was signed by the Dolphins as a Plan B free agent.

``I`m happy. Hell, they did me a favor,`` said Paige, a Lion from 1987-89.

Paige started six games in three seasons for the Lions with moderate success. His best season was 1988, when he rushed 52 times for 207 yards and caught 11 passes. Paige was the Dolphins` starting fullback and primary receiver out of the backfield last season. He had 35 receptions for 247 yards and four touchdowns.

``The (Lions`) players are happy for me. They all know I can play,`` Paige said. ``They drafted James Jones with the No. 1 pick (in 1983 from Florida) and I beat him out of a job. It was obvious I was their No. 1 guy.

``But I`ll play the way I play every week. I won`t be biting my mouthpiece.``

Lions coach Wayne Fontes said the decision to let Paige go was one they had hoped to avoid.

``I`m close to Tony. Very, very close,`` Fontes said Wednesday. ``He is a great player, but it was a numbers game. We wanted to get Tony back, but the Dolphins did their homework.``

-- The Dolphins will watch Lions Pro Bowl linebacker Chris Spielman and wonder ``What if?`` Detroit took Spielman in the second round in 1988, but he wasn`t the first linebacker taken from Ohio State that year. Miami selected Eric Kumerow in the first round.

-- Injuries: Dolphins nose tackle T.J. Turner (knee) is doubtful for Sunday. Wide receiver Mark Clayton (calf) is questionable, and running back Mark Higgs (ankle), defensive end Jeff Cross (ankle) and linebacker David Griggs (neck) are probable. None of the five practiced... The Lions, described by Fontes as being in ``very, very poor shape,`` have seven players on their official injury report, not including running back Barry Sanders (ribs), who missed practice Wednesday... Sanders, asked how Paige helped him as a rookie, responded strangely. ``He gave me a lot of good jokes. He`s a funny person.``